Today, learning often occurs collaboratively in learner networks. Formal learning is combined with informal learning and learners use, for example, personalised and personal learning environments adapted to their needs and preferences.

Formative assessment has already demonstrated its positive impact on learning in general. It helps learners to become self-regulated. Providing feedback is an approach to support self-monitoring that is essential during self-regulated learning. Amongst other possibilities, formative assessment is a means to generate feedback and to increase learners’ motivation and learning performance.

While in a general sense any assessment can be used for formative or summative purposes, more genuinely formative assessment needs to provide (a) rich, detailed information on learning (content and process), (b) information that provides guidance on how to improve learning, and (c) opportunities to actively construct an understanding to regulated learning, with negotiability amongst the stakeholders.

Furthermore, information technology allows not only the generation of feedback based on dedicated assessment (e.g. tests, quizzes), but also the use of a wider range of assessment items (e.g. free text) and, indeed, to exploit the information contained in the work/learning process (e.g. log files analysis of student activities in a virtual learning environment).

A final set of challenges arises from the fact that people who are not assessment experts conduct formative assessment: teachers, trainers, and the students themselves. Not only does this require educating the users (including parents and employers), but it also means that the division of labour between those who develop, deploy, are subjected to, and interpret assessments needs to be re-thought.

This special issue will focus on formative assessment as a support for learning in today’s innovative technology enhanced learning (TEL) environments.

The issue will bring together contributions in TEL that deal with approaches and innovative assessment technologies that support the transition from current assessment scenarios towards the development of novel forms of e-assessment through which different types of knowledge and skills are evaluated, continuous feedback is provided, and students are more engaged in the learning process. Contributions are expected in the area of TEL from different fields (technology-based assessment, educational measurement, IT&TEL, pedagogy, teacher education, educational psychology, etc.), which provide insights into how formative assessment could enhance motivation and learning in TEL environments.

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.